Sanaa, Apr 18 (IANS): Yemen's Houthi militia said they fired an explosive-laden drone toward King Khalid Air Base in Saudi Arabia's southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

"The hit was accurate," Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement on Saturday reported by the rebel group's al-Masirah TV.

Saudi Arabia has made no comment on the alleged attack, reports Xinhua news agency.

Cross-border missile and drone attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis have escalated since February when the group began a major offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni Army to capture the oil-rich province of Marib.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.